There are some exciting events coming soon to SWTOR. You can be a special part of the launch experience on December 20th with the community events announced here on the SWTOR news page. There will be events in both North America and Europe to help you celebrate the launch of the game along with BioWare and LucasArts. For example: In the US, we have partnered with Best Buy to host launch night events at the Best Buy Union Square in New York City and the Best Buy South Austin in Austin, Texas. Members of the Star Wars: The Old Republic development team will be on hand at each location, including BioWare Co-Founders Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk in New York, as well as James Ohlen and Rich Vogel in Austin! Fans attending these events may be able to get their hands on swag, take part in Q&As with…
Author: Lisa Clark
Pre-Order Breakdown: Where are You on the Pre-Launch List?
If you’re anxiously awaiting when you will get into the game, here is some interesting information about the pre-order breakdown, number of people who have pre-ordered and where you might be on the list. Now you can see a very generalized guesstimation of where you might be on the list. While it’s fun and interesting to see it in graph format, we say “guesstimation” because these stats are not 100% accurate. This is only box sales from North America. It does not include digital copies or copies from Europe. That’s a great deal of numbers missing. In fact, it could be only half of the actual numbers of the game that have been preordered. Anyway, the stats from vgchartz.com may not be completely accurate. It also includes the disclaimer that it is just intended to give a general idea of where you might stand on the list. For that purpose,…
IGN’s SWTOR Interview: Bioware Spills about Star Wars MMO
Starting today, those who preordered BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic will be rolled into in the live game before the official launch date of December 20. The time has officially come. There will be no more beta testing, no more character wipes and no more waiting. We are down to the wire and it’s nearly time to being playing. With that said, it begs the question “What has Bioware learned from this experience?” In this exclusive interview with IGN, Bioware’s James Ohlen talks SWTOR, lessons learned, future changes in SWTOR and more. The interview is over 2,000 words long but well worth the read (or at very least a skim over the questions that interest you most). Here’s a snippet from the start of the interview: GN: During beta, which are some of the elements that changed the most and in ways you didn’t expect? I mean I saw…
Server Assignments are Here! Guild Pre-Launch Deployment
Today is the big day for everyone awaiting pre-launch guild server announcements, as we told you earlier. The emails finally came in so if you’ve been sitting there refreshing your inbox over and over, you can now relax. The emails are out and not just guild leaders/guild masters got them. Anyone registered in a pre-launch guild who pre-ordered should have gotten the email. In addition to checking for the email, you can skip a step and go straight to the guild page for your status: http://www.swtor.com/guilds You should be able to see the page title: Guild Headquarters The Pre-Launch Guild Program has Ended Member of: (Your Guild) Assigned to Server: (Your Server) NOTE: The official SWTOR site is so busy today that you will probably get put in a “waiting room” as you try to enter but mine was only 20 seconds long at the longest point so I didn’t…
Guild HQ Update Coming Today
SWTOR tweeted this weekend, “Eager to find out what server your #SWTOR Guild will be placed on? Your Guild HQ update is coming on Monday!” So we’re all awaiting the news but boy are they cutting it close on this one! Since early access is supposed to begin on Tuesday, this is cutting it really close for guild leaders to get the info and organize things with their guild. However, it doesn’t really matter since as soon as you log in your character that is signed up with that guild, you will gain access to wherever the guild is at. Your guild will be assigned to a server, not the player so when you log in to the server (and faction) your guild belongs to, you will be automatically in the guild. You are still free to make alts and place them on any server you choose. SWTOR Twitter feed…
MMORPG Dallas Dickinson Interview
MMORPG has an interesting interview with Dallas Dickinson for your enjoyment as you count down the days to SWTOR launch- coming oh so soon! This interview with Dallas Dickinson features post launch content, server announcements, empire/republic player ratio and more. Here is an interview snippet: MMORPG.com:Let’s kick things off by talking a bit about Game Testing. The last few weekend tests have seen a huge amount of players hitting the servers. What can you tell us about what you’ve learned from having so many users hitting your service? Were there any surprises or revelations in terms of what the service will be able to handle? Dallas Dickinson:There were actually, there were mostly positive surprises. There were way fewer surprises than we were bracing for. The servers actually did really, really well. Those who participated in the testing found the experience was relatively smooth. I think, the first night, we had…
Ten Tips for Transitioning WoW Players
Are you a World of Warcraft player transitioning over to SWTOR? You are definitely not the first. There are loads of WoW players making the move to SWTOR, including the majority of my WoW guild’s most active players and raiding members. If you’re one of these players, you need to learn about the differences in the two games (aside from the obvious) so you understand what to expect and what not to. While we have all heard the comparisons about all the similarities, there are still some things that are very different in the two games. SWTOR Hub has some tips for transitioning WoW players which covers the following points: No U.I. Mods Terminology Overload We’re Not in Arathi Basin Anymore Not Every Quest Must You Do Strength in Numbers Quest Text Matters So Does Alignment Dungeons, Instances and Everything Else Don’t Travel Alone: Companions Class Choice…
Hands-On SWTOR Review
My pal Jason Thibeault has a great hands-on SWTOR preview to share and with the pre-launch only a few days away, it’s a great way to pass the time and get yourself in the SWTOR mood. This is also an excellent preview for anyone who missed game testing or is just now hearing about the game (have you been under a rock?). We have brought you a lot of SWTOR previews and reviews here and I guarantee you I have read tons and tons of them but there are some things in particular that I really like about Jason’s review. For example, he has a lot of screenshots. These aren’t just typical gameplay shots- he has some great shots of the character selection process and appearance customization which is great for those who did not have a chance to see this in the game for themselves. He also explains the…
BioWare Sneak “Night At The Roxbury” Scene Into Star Wars: The Old Republic?
Pop culture references done right in a video game can be loads of fun. If there’s any company who can pull this off the right way, it just might be Bioware. While it’s not completely new news, there is rumor going around that Bioware have snuck a scene from “A Night at the Roxbury” into SWTOR. There have been some videos going around YouTube that supposedly depict this. It’s a scene from the game in a cantina with some characters who look like they are acting out the SWTOR version of “A Night at the Roxbury” skit. I am pretty sure I completely missed this in the game as I was busy leveling and writing about the game but it’s really cool. You can judge for yourself from watching the videos but it sure does look like a reference to it to me! While they said in the past that…
SWTOR Tweaks (Including a Chat Bubbles Toggle!)
Are you looking for some SWTOR tweaks to help customize the game fully suited to your needs? Good news for the rest of us, there are a lot of dedicated fans helping us all find ways to get more into the game. One such fan posted some great SWTOR tweaks over on Reddit and it even includes a chat bubbles toggle. Here is a snippet: The following can be added to youraccountname_Account.ini in C:UsersUSERAppDataLocalSWTORretailclient If chat bubbles are not in during Early Access you should be able to force them. Social_UseOverheadChat = true Social_ChatOverSelf = true GUI Map Fog of War toggle. GUI_MapHideFoWMasks = false Attack Based on Focus Target? Controls_InheritedTargeting = true Volume Controls! X = 0 to 100 VolumeAmbience = X VolumeMaster = X VolumeMusic = X VolumeSFX = X VolumeVoiceover = X Old Nameplates in this video: Head on over to Reddit if you want to…
SWTOR Rules of Conduct
If you’re going to be playing SWTOR in just a few days along with the rest of us, it’s a good idea to make yourself familiar with the posted rules of conduct. Most of it is traditional MMORPG and online game play stuff but there are a few things that really stick out to us and honestly, a couple of things are downright frustrating. For example, macro software is not allowed but Bioware has no problem whatsoever with you paying 0 for the Razer keyboard to do the exact same thing. Is this really fair to those who don’t want the Razer or to those who cannot afford it? Anyway… here are some of the ROC (rules of content) that you need to be familiar with: To keep the Service a compliant, fun, fair and safe gaming environment for everyone, you may not engage in any of the following behavior:…
SWTOR Beta End Game Review for Level 50 from MMO Champion
With the launch date for SWTOR scheduled for December 20, 2011, Star Wars/MMO fans are interested in learning more about this game. The excitement continues to grow with each passing day and if you’re like most players, you’re searching for all the inside information you can find which is why we want to bring you as many awesome SWTOR reviews as we can before the big day. MMO Champion has a very interesting review on their beta experience end game for level 50. A lot of testers were never able to get that far in the game so it’s pretty interesting, all in all. It talks about some of the things there are to do once you reach level 50 (max level). You can learn a little about the bosses in the game, operations, raiding and crafting. You’re going to get some facts and details with sprinkles of opinion from…
The Poll to End All Polls: What Class Will You Play?
If you missed it on the official forums, we have the “Poll to end all polls” ( Gone with the official forums now) which discusses class, species, role and alignment. This was a really popular user-created poll that brings up some important stats about the game and the people who will play it. The poll asks “What will your FIRST character be?” and has LOADS of responses. Take a look before the forums get wiped because this poll is the ultimate poll for SWTOR. About the Poll: It started back in April and as of today, it has over 11,000 votes and pages and pages of comments. It gives us some real insight into the playerbase and what you all want from the game. This will show you who you will likely be playing with and what kinds of stats we can expect in the game. To help you understand…
Actress Adrienne Wilkinson discusses working on SWTOR (and Force Unleashed!)
Even if you don’t know her by name, you’ve probably heard Adrienne Wilkinson in game. She has been doing vocal performances since 2003 in games like “Command and Conquer 3”, “Star Wars The Force Unleashed” and “Saints Row 2”. She’s done some amazing work in the past and continues to make quite an impression in the gaming world as she takes on the voice of several characters in SWTOR. Pop-Gamer brings us an awesome interview with Adrienne Wilkinson about her acting experience in SWTOR as well as Force Unleashed! Here’s a snippet: PG: It certainly showed! Star Wars: The Old Republic is coming out this month. How do you feel about being part of what many are saying is possibly the next World of Warcraft?’ AW: I’m thrilled to be part of the project. The enthusiasm the Star Wars fandom is already showing The Old Republic is quite prolific –…
Editorial: SWTOR Collector’s Edition Elitists
A reader wrote in to us recently with a pretty interesting thought about the types of gamers who have pre-ordered and will play SWTOR. He says, “People who pre-ordered the Collector’s Edition think they’re more important than everyone else.”” He even offers some evidence of why he believes this: 1- A signature bragging about the CE. 2- A post saying CE buyers are entitled to being better in-game. Honestly, I never thought a whole lot about it at first but it’s a good point now that it’s been brought up. Sure, this is a generalization and I’m sure not every single gamer to buy the CE acts this way (I don’t and I love buying CEs of my games) but at least a good portion of them do. I have seen this type of behavior in the game and its community so far, too. I’ve also seen it in other…
SWTOR Review and Cool Stuff from ZAM
Have you had enough SWTOR reviews yet? Now that the beta testing phase is over and we are counting down the days to the eventual launch of the game, it’s a great time to read over all the good reviews and previews we can find. We’re going to continue to bring you some of the best ones, as well as our own SWTOR guides and strategies to keep you informed and entertained before launch- and beyond. In yet another SWTOR review, we have this from ZAM.com. This is a very long 2-part series of a review/preview of SWTOR based on their beta experiences. Editor-in-Chief Chris Tom talks about what makes SWTOR unique and gives some final thoughts on his experiences. He says: “Yesterday, I went in-depth with SWTOR’s story and gameplay, as well as how it all fits with the MMORPG genre. Today, I’ll be talking about some of the…
Debate: Sith Or Republic- Which Side Will You Choose?
One of the first decisions you’ll make when playing Star Wars: The Old Republic, is whether to choose the Sith civilization or the Galactic Republic. Which one will you choose? Do you have a specific reason for choosing one side over the other? Nearly every player seems to have a preference of which they will play. Many players make a decision based on how each side is portrayed in the sense of good and evil. Some people prefer to be a part of the “good” side, while others prefer the “bad” side. Some people also base it on movie or lore preferences. In SWTOR, the Republic is portrayed as the “good” side while the Sith is portrayed as “evil” but not everyone agrees with this assessment. It’s really a matter of perception and when you take a closer look at both sides, you’ll see a few problems with that interpretation….
AC Comparisons to WoW Classes for the Current/ex WoW Player
A Reddit user named ThomJonson posted a very helpful class comparison about the correlation between Advanced SWTOR Classes and World of Warcraft classes. It might also serve as a good guide to any WoWheads you are trying to turn on to SWTOR. He says: “I did this as a response to someone asking for WoW comparisons in a prior thread located here. It appears a lot of people appreciated this so I figured I might as well show this to more people in the hopes of it proving useful to them or for their fellow gaming acquaintances.” He goes on to explain how he compared the classes to WoW because it’s the MMO he has the most experience with and also that he thinks will best help players understand what the SWTOR classes will be like. He invites anyone more familiar with another MMO who wants to copy/paste the style…
National Post Explores: Will SWTOR Dent WoW?
Ah, the classic debate continues as National Post writer. Daniel Kaszor explores the topic of SWTOR’s affect on WoW in Tuesday’s Download Code. As they as “Can EA’s Star Wars MMO make a dent in World of Warcraft?”, we see more evidence of just how serious the business of video games really is. Kaszor says: In an interview with Reuters last week, Activision-Blizzard chief executive Bobby Kotick had this to say about the upcoming Electronic Arts Inc. release of Star Wars: The Old Republic (a game similar to Blizzard’s blockbuster World of Warcraft, but obviously set inside the Star Wars universe). He then goes on to quote and discuss Kotick’s comments on whether or not EA could steal users from WoW and also questions whether or not rival EA would make any money off of the game at all since they have to share revenue with Lucas Arts. We recently…
No Grace Period for SWTOR (confirmed by FAQ & Stephen Reid)
There will be no grace period for those who have preordered the game and get Early Game Access to play the game unless they have completed the following steps as outlined in the FAQ. If you have not completed all of the steps, your game play time could be affected. It is not enough just to pre-order the game or even to pre-order and register. You need to thoroughly read the preorder FAQ in order to understand what you need to do. According to the Preorder FAQ: Q. If I pre-order Star Wars: The Old Republic but don’t purchase or obtain the full version of the Game, may I continue to play past the Early Game Access period? A. The Game officially launches on December 20th, 2011 at 12:01AM EST (Pacific: December 19th, 9:01PM PST; European: December 20th, 05:01AM GMT, 06:01AM CET). There will be no ‘grace period’ post launch…
SWTOR Early Access Starts December 13
“Early Game Access* for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ is only a few days away! Starting December 13, 2011, The Old Republic will begin emailing invitations to start your Early Game Access.” This just in from the official website news section- are you ready to play? The announcement adds: “To ensure that players can get into the game as quickly as possible when their Early Game Access begins, we are now allowing everyone who has redeemed a Pre-Order Code at our Code Redemption Center to pre-load the game to their computer”. Bioware’s Courtney Woods announced that the game is available for pre-load to anyone who has already redeemed their pre-order codes. Stephen Reid also clarified the announcement on Twitter, and notified the community that the Early Access section of the Preorder FAQ had changed. You can now preload the game if you pre-ordered by visiting the SWTOR official website and…
SWTOR Game Cards Now for Sale
The time has come and we know the release of SWTOR is imminent when we see that now game cards are available for purchase! Electronic Arts is offering Star Wars: The Old Republic 60-Day Pre-paid Time Cards on Amazon and other retailers for $29.99. If you haven’t already written your letter to Santa this year or given family stocker-stuffer ideas, then now is the time to ask for some extra game time cards. As of now, we can’t find evidence of any 30-day cards, 90-day cards or longer but there has been hinting that other denominations will come later. If you don’t have a credit card or don’t want to use a credit card to put your game subscription time on, then SWTOR game cards are perfect for you. So what’s your plan? Are you going to stock up on a few cards, buy some for friends or family or…
Secrets of the Mind Part 1 and 2
Our good friends over at RepublicTrooper.com, has something really interesting to keep you entertained – least part of the time that you are waiting on that December 20th launch date. Mike Kern brings us Secrets of the Mind part 1 and 2 for your enjoyment. Here’s a snippet of Part 1: Marik watched his sister float in bacta, unchanged for weeks. After the disaster on Balmorra, he had gone for more intensive combat training while she underwent surgery after surgery. Despite all the efforts of a dozen surgeons, Kira had lapsed into a coma. Leaving her side was the hardest thing he’d ever done and the six weeks spent on Ord Mantell had felt like six months. Returning to Coruscant was all he wanted and now that he was here, he felt helpless and useless. “I-S-One Thorne.” Marik stiffened and snapped to attention as he whirled on his heel. The voice…
SWTOR Level 50 Gear (Screenshots)
Not everyone got far enough into the beta testing/ game testing of SWTOR to be able to see level 50 gear. You may not have ever even seen a level 50, much less achieved the level cap for yourself. Here are some screenshots of the different classes with level 50 gear so you can see what it all looks like. The poster says: “High settings but with no AA forced on. Male human body type 2.Keep in mind this is just the gear available at vendors in the fleet, there’s still tons of other gear styles out there such as boss loot, quest rewards and crafting. So if you’re thinking oh man thats ugly, never fear, there shall be alternatives. Also: mod system!Apologies for no Republic stuff” So here you go! Have a look and let us know what you think. Bounty Hunter Sith Inquisitor Imperial Agent Sith Warrior…